Part I Host States, Mining Companies, and Mining Projects, 1 Host States

Author(s):  
Burnett Henry G ◽  
Bret Louis-Alexis

This chapter is organized into two parts. The first part discusses the role of Host States. States have the power to regulate, manage, and tax the mining sector. Mining is heavily regulated due to its significant environmental and social impact. Host States are also parties to international mining disputes either as contracting parties or as regulators. States or State-owned mining companies enter into commercial agreements with respect to their mineral resources, which can result in contractual disputes, both domestic and international. The second part of the chapter describes the principal systems of mineral tenure. These include the landownership regime, which is the traditional system for the original ownership of underground minerals in common law countries. The State ownership regime, under which minerals in the subsoil belong to the State or are administered by the State on behalf of the nation, represents the most common approach to mineral tenure in civil law countries.

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angeles Mendoza Sammet

This contribution analyzes whether the transboundary use of mineral resources by Canadian companies contributes to local and regional cohesion. The analysis is based on documental reviews, a field visit, and conversations with stakeholders of Canadian mining projects in Mexico. The results strongly suggest that, despite the bene fits that are advertised in the discourses of the Canadian and Mexican governments, this economic relationship is not fostering social cohesion as would be expected. Rather than helping dispossessed sectors of Mexican society satisfy their basic needs, the lack of social responsibility on the part of national governments and some transnational mining companies is generating numerous environmental and social impacts and is resulting in violations of human and indigenous people's rights. This situation, however, is fostering social cohesion through shared values among dispossessed communities in Mexico, and between them and various civic, human rights, and environmental organizations in Canada. Spanish Esta contribución analiza de qué forma el desarrollo de recursos mineros en México por empresas canadienses influye en la cohesión social local y regionalmente. El análisis se basa en revisión documental, visitas de campo y conversaciones con informantes clave. Los resultados fuertemente sugieren que esta relación comercial no está contribuyendo a mejorar la cohesión social como sería de esperarse si la minería contribuyera al desarrollo sustentable según lo promocionan los gobiernos de México y Canadá. En vez de contribuir a reducir la pobreza, se han generado diversos impactos sociales y ambientales debido a la falta de responsabilidad social que prevalece en el sector minero. Estos incluyen violaciones de derechos humanos y gentes indígenas. Sin embargo, estas consecuencias negativas están favoreciendo la cohesión social entre las comunidades afectadas por la minería en México y las organizaciones civiles en Canadá que están ejerciendo presión en Canadá para que haya cambios en el sistema político y legal para asegurar que las empresas canadienses operen de manera social y ambientalmente responsable. French Ce e contribution entend voir de quelle manière l'utilisation transfrontalière des ressources minérales par des entreprises canadiennes contribuent à la cohésion locale et régionale. L'analyse se fonde sur l'examen des documents, une visite sur le terrain, et les interviews menées avec les parties prenantes des projets miniers canadiens au Mexique. Les résultats suggèrent fortement que, malgré les avantages formulés dans le discours des gouvernements canadien et mexicain, ce e relation économique ne conduit pas à la cohésion sociale comme on pourrait s'y attendre. Plutôt que d'aider les secteurs déshérités de la société mexicaine à satisfaire leurs besoins de base, le manque de responsabilité sociale de la part des deux gouvernements nationaux et certaines entreprises minières transnationales produit de nombreux impacts environnementaux et sociaux qui se traduisent par des violations des droits de l'homme des peuples indigènes. Ce e situation, cependant, favorise la cohésion sociale à travers des valeurs partagées entre les communautés dépossédées au Mexique, et entre eux et diff érentes organisations civiles défenseurs des droits de l'homme et environnementaux au Canada.


Author(s):  
Lisa Waddington

This chapter explores the relationship between disability quota schemes and non-discrimination law in Europe. While at first sight they seem to sit uneasily beside each other, the chapter reveals how, in some instances, quota schemes can serve to facilitate compliance with non-discrimination legislation. At the same time, the chapter explores seeming incompatibilities between the two approaches and considers whether there are differences between common and civil law jurisdictions in this respect. Tentative conclusions suggest that there is a greater willingness to establish quota schemes through legislation in civil law jurisdictions compared to common law jurisdictions, and that quota schemes in civil law jurisdictions are more likely to provide for the imposition of a levy in the case that employers fail to meet their quota obligations through employing the required number of people with disabilities. There also seems to be some indication that there is greater awareness of the potential for conflict or tension, in various forms, between non-discrimination law and quota schemes in common law jurisdictions than in civil law jurisdictions. Finally, the two schemes operating in the common law states are only applicable to the public sector—whilst in civil law states quotas are generally applied to both public and private sector employers. This may indicate different perceptions regarding the role of public sector employers and the legitimacy of imposing quota requirements.


Author(s):  
Lorena Bachmaier

This chapter examines the primary grounds for challenging the admissibility of evidence, the methods to do it, and the potential consequences of those challenges for civil law systems. It first provides an overview of the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) with respect to admissibility of evidence, before discussing the exclusionary rules of evidence, focusing on the methods for excluding unreliable evidence, irrelevant or unnecessary evidence, and illegally obtained evidence. It then considers the process for challenging the admissibility of evidence, the cross-examination of witnesses, and the role of trial courts in the questioning of witnesses. It also tackles the admissibility of out-of-court witness testimonies in European civil law systems and notes the convergence between common law and civil law systems with regard to methods for excluding evidence and for questioning witnesses.


Author(s):  
Katalin Ligeti

This chapter focuses on the place of the public prosecutor in common law and civil law jurisdictions. It first describes the institutional positioning of public prosecutors, particularly vis-à-vis the executive power, before discussing their role and powers in regard to the pretrial phase. It then considers the increasing tendency to entrust the public prosecutor with quasi-judicial sanctioning powers in the context of out-of-court procedures (“prosecutorial adjudication”). It also examines the role of specialized law enforcement authorities in the exercise of investigative and prosecutorial functions, coercive measures and the need for judicial authorization, and prosecutorial discretion and alternatives to trial proceedings. Finally, it explains how independence, centralization and decentralization, legality and opportunity of prosecution, and the alternatives to trial proceedings have been translated to the supranational design of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO).


1987 ◽  
Vol 16 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 211-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dario Melossi

Sociologists have shown the presence of statistically significant associations between changing economic conditions and rates of imprisonment in a number of countries characterized by common law systems. Furthermore, these associations do not seem to be mediated by changing rates of criminal behavior. This article considers the possibility that the same relationships exist in a civil law society, Italy, for the period 1896–1965. It then goes on to highlight an hypothesis and possible test to explain the nature of these associations, based on the intervening role of public opinion.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
Ximei Wu ◽  
Abid Hussain Shah jillani

An attempt has been made to investigate the role of the doctrine of Lis Pendens in international commercial arbitration while making a comparison of civil and common law traditions. Arbitration is regarded to be less painful and an effective means for resolving any type of commercial disputes. Sources of the law to investigate Arbitration's regulation on a national, institutional, and international level. However, it is known that the lis pendens doctrine has been rarely codified; thus, scholarly writings and case laws were consulted by the research for determining its adoption and content. It is important to note that the lis pendens is initially regarded as a tool, which has been developed to manage the proceedings of parallel court on a domestic level. The study concludes while arguing that when it comes to civil law tradition, lis pendens is regarded as an independent doctrine in international commercial arbitration since it shares the same claim of being tried in various forums simultaneously. In contrast, lis alibi pendens in the jurisdiction of common law is not known as a doctrine, but it is viewed as one of many factors whole applying the forum non-convenience principle. Both civil and common law need identity between various parties and their claims to constitute lis pendens in two proceedings, and therefore, they have a conform and deep understanding of the concept.


Lex Russica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 25-32
Author(s):  
E. V. Bogdanov

The existence of extraordinary circumstances, which should be understood as circumstances unavoidable under these conditions, constitutes the condition for requisition. The Civil Code of the Russian Federation gives state bodies a certain freedom in carrying out requisitions, as it is hardly possible to list all exceptional circumstances when additional equipment or other property will be required both to prevent the development of emergencies and to deal with their consequences.Civil law confiscation involves the termination of private property and the emergence of state ownership of confiscated property. Therefore, it is impossible to treat as confiscation the seizure of tengible media according to Para. 4 of Art. 1252 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, because they were produced in violation of the law and, therefore, ownership has not arisen. The paper also substantiates the conclusion that nationalization requires relevant property to come not into the property of the State, but into the national property. In the author’s opinion, the currently existing State property does not contain any hints of national property, and it can be stated that the Russian people even more than previously are removed from the property of the State and are excluded from State responsibility. Nationwide property serves as a foundation of the civil society.


Author(s):  
Peddie Jonathan

This chapter argues that there is potential for conflict between common and civil law jurisdictions where the approach to preparation for trial, and through that the taking of evidence, differ to a large degree. In common law jurisdictions, where it is usual for private parties to be proactively involved in the evidence gathering process, it will not seem irregular for evidence to be taken by an agent of a foreign court for the purpose of proceedings on foot in that court. Such an approach may, however, offend the rules of civil law jurisdictions, where the obtaining of evidence, at least in criminal matters, is primarily the role of the judiciary. To address this potential for conflict, a number of pieces of legislation and bilateral and multilateral civil procedure conventions have evolved over time to facilitate official intervention in order to obtain cross-jurisdictional assistance in the gathering of evidence for the purpose of both civil and criminal proceedings. The various ways in which assistance may be sought by or obtained from the English courts are explored in this chapter.


Author(s):  
Ali Coskun ◽  
Serhat Cevikel ◽  
Zeynep Özçelik ◽  
Vedat Akgiray

Within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, a common feature of corporate financial structures is that governments have always been majority owners of many commercial companies. This chapter provides a detailed picture of state ownership in the region. It finds evidence of a decline in the privatization effort in the 2000s. Privatization may be important for the development of institutional ownership, yet, in some cases, it may not be in the best interests of the public, when cronyism is prevalent. In this context, it is important to understand the role of the state in the growth of capital markets in the region, and the efficiency of the overall development model.


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